The striking feature of the FFC Cambridge process is its simplicity.
It uses a molten salt as the electrolyte for the electrochemical
reduction of a metal oxide to metal. The metal oxide powder is
contained in the cathode and directly converted into metal by electro-deoxidation.
The oxygen ions carry the current across the cell and gas is evolved
at the anode, leaving the pure metal at the cathode which can simply
be ground to a powder.
Most metals that exist as an oxide can be produced using the process
and, in comparison with many conventional processing techniques,
it has very favourable process economics and a low environmental
impact. Furthermore, the FFC Cambridge process is extremely simple
when compared with traditional production routes.
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